An infant tantrum, tantrum or tantrum is a frantic type of reaction characteristic of children between 16 months and three years. Prototypeically, it consists of a strong attack of anger that includes protests, tears and, even, the throwing to the ground. The occasional tantrum in children is considered part of their normal process of maturation and originates in a frustration for not being able to impose their will. The disproportion and excessive frequency of tantrums accompanied by violence towards themselves or towards others is considered a psychological anomaly that must be consulted to an expert. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in its fifth edition (DSM-5) indicates that severe and recurrent tantrums are part of a mental illness that is called a disruptive mood disorder. Heinz Kohut argued that the "infant nucleus probably contains a megalomaniac-exhibitionist part and that frustrating tantrums represent narcissistic anger" a setback to an inflated self-image. When a child "faces some kind of denial, regardless of its justifications, such refusal automatically provokes fury, since it offends its sense of omnipotence."
In the case of children with autism spectrum can be more frequent, often even for no apparent reason. Bibliography
wiki
